A review by versmonesprit
The Deep by Nick Cutter
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
To ask whether The Deep is plot or character driven is to assume it’s driven at all. Instead, “Nick Cutter”s masterpiece of garbage runs in place, and at best, goes in circles.
And to say I hate this book with a passion is still not enough to convey my animosity towards it.
For one thing, it’s about 10 times longer than it should have been. It tries to be too many things, none of which Craig Davidson is skilled enough to write well, but by the end it becomes clear it tried to be eldritch horror the most. The reason Lovecraft’s stories (yes he was a horrendous person, but he was a horrendous person who wrote well) work is because he doesn’t try to drag them out. Some are longer, sure, but the madness works because the pace is right, and the creatures feel dreadful because - you guessed it - the pace is right. This sort of cosmic horror does not work as a novel.
And it surely doesn’t work at all in the hands of someone as unskilled as Davidson. It didn’t even seem like he had any idea what the story would involve and where it’d go: there was too much going on, far too much back story, far too much info-dump and exposure for the actual story to even be compelling. The story, the narration, the characters literally went around in circles, had the same conversations, did the same things, and kept pausing the main story to build back stories which quickly became enraging.
Then there’s the chapter structure. They’re far too short, because Davidson cuts the action randomly to separate it into multiple chapters. It makes no sense. This too becomes enraging immediately.
My favourite part about this “Sci-fi” is how factually wrong the simplest things are: the largest insect our vet MC has ever seen is a thumb-length mantis, which is actually small for mantises; a tree’s leaves are likened to veins; there’s a 15 hour difference between Guam and Iowa but somehow in the book it’s late afternoon in Guam when it’s 5 am in Iowa; Davidson alleges only mentally ill boys have TMHA in their sweat; cancer is called a pathogen… Don’t involve scientific facts in your book if you’re not going to get them right! You don’t have to root your book in the real world; and if you can’t, don’t force it! We’d have been fine without all these details too!
The first part of the book is dedicated to exploring a pandemic that Davidson made up. This is not only annoying as it prevents the book from getting to the actual plot; it’s also hilarious to read after having been in a pandemic, because we’ve all seen people (hell, whole countries) do not take it remotely serious enough. Anyway, if you think this sickness must be crucial to the story since so much space is given to it, NO. Not at all. It’s just one of the elements Davidson threw in because he wanted to write too many stories at once.
The characters are atrocious, the back story tangents are too often not to be angry at them, the narration is choppy (here’s an actual quote: “The gas station had been empty. The pumps were shut off. The door to the convenience store was open. The aisles were shadowy in the late afternoon.”), and for all this, the book isn’t even atmospheric! You would think that a book set under the ocean would have some waterlogged atmosphere… you would be wrong, because Davidson keeps describing this setting through allusions to space and caves, completely destroying the chance to create a unique atmosphere.
I was going to say something nice about one chapter, but my issues with Davidson took a more serious turn so I’m not giving him any credit for anything. It’s been a while since I was this genuinely creeped out by a man. I’m not exaggerating. Instead of saying “a child’s giggle” like any non-creep would say, Davidson says “a prepubescent giggle.” If this isn’t enough to paint a perverted picture of the author, he also likens the way a dog rounds a corner to the movements of a “showgirl.” And no, the book isn’t a first person narration, so these are not the sick impressions of a perverted character.
And no, it’s not even over. The sheer amount of needless, gratuitous cruelty and violence against animals in this book is repulsive. No one who doesn’t revel in such imagery would write these scenes. This is beyond the cheap trick of books and movies killing off dogs when they know they can’t create tension through good writing; these are indulgent descriptions of animal abuse.
I’d love to write a better review, or at least tie it up, but thinking this much about the book has once again given me a headache out of fury. This is one of the most boring books I’ve ever made myself suffer through.
Oh and — there are extensive descriptions of a myriapod.
And to say I hate this book with a passion is still not enough to convey my animosity towards it.
For one thing, it’s about 10 times longer than it should have been. It tries to be too many things, none of which Craig Davidson is skilled enough to write well, but by the end it becomes clear it tried to be eldritch horror the most. The reason Lovecraft’s stories (yes he was a horrendous person, but he was a horrendous person who wrote well) work is because he doesn’t try to drag them out. Some are longer, sure, but the madness works because the pace is right, and the creatures feel dreadful because - you guessed it - the pace is right. This sort of cosmic horror does not work as a novel.
And it surely doesn’t work at all in the hands of someone as unskilled as Davidson. It didn’t even seem like he had any idea what the story would involve and where it’d go: there was too much going on, far too much back story, far too much info-dump and exposure for the actual story to even be compelling. The story, the narration, the characters literally went around in circles, had the same conversations, did the same things, and kept pausing the main story to build back stories which quickly became enraging.
Then there’s the chapter structure. They’re far too short, because Davidson cuts the action randomly to separate it into multiple chapters. It makes no sense. This too becomes enraging immediately.
My favourite part about this “Sci-fi” is how factually wrong the simplest things are: the largest insect our vet MC has ever seen is a thumb-length mantis, which is actually small for mantises; a tree’s leaves are likened to veins; there’s a 15 hour difference between Guam and Iowa but somehow in the book it’s late afternoon in Guam when it’s 5 am in Iowa; Davidson alleges only mentally ill boys have TMHA in their sweat; cancer is called a pathogen… Don’t involve scientific facts in your book if you’re not going to get them right! You don’t have to root your book in the real world; and if you can’t, don’t force it! We’d have been fine without all these details too!
The first part of the book is dedicated to exploring a pandemic that Davidson made up. This is not only annoying as it prevents the book from getting to the actual plot; it’s also hilarious to read after having been in a pandemic, because we’ve all seen people (hell, whole countries) do not take it remotely serious enough. Anyway, if you think this sickness must be crucial to the story since so much space is given to it, NO. Not at all. It’s just one of the elements Davidson threw in because he wanted to write too many stories at once.
The characters are atrocious, the back story tangents are too often not to be angry at them, the narration is choppy (here’s an actual quote: “The gas station had been empty. The pumps were shut off. The door to the convenience store was open. The aisles were shadowy in the late afternoon.”), and for all this, the book isn’t even atmospheric! You would think that a book set under the ocean would have some waterlogged atmosphere… you would be wrong, because Davidson keeps describing this setting through allusions to space and caves, completely destroying the chance to create a unique atmosphere.
I was going to say something nice about one chapter, but my issues with Davidson took a more serious turn so I’m not giving him any credit for anything. It’s been a while since I was this genuinely creeped out by a man. I’m not exaggerating. Instead of saying “a child’s giggle” like any non-creep would say, Davidson says “a prepubescent giggle.” If this isn’t enough to paint a perverted picture of the author, he also likens the way a dog rounds a corner to the movements of a “showgirl.” And no, the book isn’t a first person narration, so these are not the sick impressions of a perverted character.
And no, it’s not even over. The sheer amount of needless, gratuitous cruelty and violence against animals in this book is repulsive. No one who doesn’t revel in such imagery would write these scenes. This is beyond the cheap trick of books and movies killing off dogs when they know they can’t create tension through good writing; these are indulgent descriptions of animal abuse.
I’d love to write a better review, or at least tie it up, but thinking this much about the book has once again given me a headache out of fury. This is one of the most boring books I’ve ever made myself suffer through.
Oh and — there are extensive descriptions of a myriapod.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Incest